stouravonmagazine.co.uk
10 New Stour & Avon, April 8, 2022
Homes bid rejected Quiz night raises £1k A bid to build affordable homes on open land at the rear of 17 Hillbury Road, Alderholt, has been rejected by Dorset Council planners. The application was originally for 34 dwellings, but revised plans submitted in August last year reduced the number to 27 on the 0.9ha site to the north east of the village, close to Alderholt Chapel, the Bonfire Hill SNCI, and a public right of way. There were objections from nearly 40 residents and a number of statutory consultees to the proposal by Sovereign Housing and Coda Homes. Grounds for refusal
included the unacceptable form of development which failed to give sufficient amenity space to future occupants, the negative impact on the character of the rural area, and the ‘contrived’ access close to nearby properties. Other grounds for refusal were the failure to show there would be no adverse effects on the designated site of nature conservation and heathland or offer mitigation, insufficient drainage information to demonstrate that the development would not increase flood risk, and failure to complete a legal agreement securing affordable housing and biodiversity mitigation.
The 28th Annual Wimborne in Bloom Wine & Wisdom Quiz Evening returned last month at the Allendale Centre on the exact anniversary of the first quiz held. Twenty four teams pitted their wits against each other with eight rounds of questions including such subjects as ‘Garden Trivia’ and ‘Food’. The closely-fought contest was won by Allendale Bridge Club who were awarded the Eco Composting Trophy. Each member of the team also received a bottle of red wine. In joint second were the Wimborne-Valognes
Twinning Association and the Museum Masterminds from the Museum of East Dorset, formerly known as the Priest House Museum under which name they were the winners in that first year. The raffle raised £376 and thanks to Barclays Bank Matched Fundraising Scheme within their work in the community programme well over £1,000 will have been raised. And all being well next year’s Quiz Evening will take place on Friday, March 3, 2023, so book the date in your diaries now! Anthony Oliver
MPs’ round-up
How NHS spending will be monitored Eyebrows were raised during the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement when he said that plans to reform health care ‘will ensure every pound of taxpayers’ money is well spent’. As the statement was so completely at odds with recent revelations about chronic waste in the NHS, I put down a Parliamentary Question enquiring how the commitment to ensure that every pound is well spent would be monitored and delivered. Having voted against the increase in National Insurance contributions my scepticism about commitments to end the waste of taxpayers’ money is well known. The response to my question is set out below so that hard-pressed taxpayers faced with the highest taxes for a generation know the content: ‘a new Cabinet
Christchurch & East Dorset CHRIS CHOPE Committee on Efficiency and Value for Money has been launched which will clamp down on wasteful spending and ensure a relentless focus on delivering the highest quality services at the best value.’ On the NHS specifically the Chief Secretary to the Treasury added: ‘to support this goal and ensure that every penny is spent wisely the NHS have
agreed to double their annual efficiency target from 1.1% to 2.2% a year, freeing up £4.75billion to fund NHS priority areas over the next three years. ‘The NHS will report regularly to Government on action it is taking to meet this commitment. ‘The Government has also launched a review of leadership in health and social care which will report to the Secretary of State in early 2022.’ On the issue of enforcement, the Minister said: ‘the Treasury will hold the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care to account for meeting the new efficiency target including via the new Cabinet Committee’. Please let me have your views and any evidence of NHS waste and inefficiency. If you wish your identity to remain anonymous, I shall respect that because the culture of
secrecy and hostility to whistleblowers in the NHS is well understood and is indeed part of the problem. n My thanks on your behalf go to PC1473 Guy Matthews of Ferndown on his retirement. He gave 28 years’ service as a firearms officer to protecting the public as well as working for the UK Police contingent attached to the UN in Bosnia. Guy and so many other public servants like him give us cause to celebrate in otherwise grim times. n Another good news story to finish. A native Ukrainian Christchurch resident applied for visas for her elderly parents to come here to escape the war. She contacted me because while one visa was issued quickly the other was not. My secretary resolved the case within hours and both parents are now safely in the UK.
